Electrotherapy refers to the therapeutic application of an electrical charge of various intensity and duration to stimulate healing. Although practiced for centuries, American medicine only recently started to accept the use of electricity as a viable form of treatment. Currently, medical professionals employ electrotherapy to heal wounds and fractures. They are also discovering new possibilities for the therapy, such as its use in treating cancer.
History
For centuries, medical practitioners used electrical energy as a healing tool. Around 9,000 BC, people wore magnetic amulets made out of amber, magnetite or lodestone to ward of evil spirits, associated with ill health. In the first century, Roman physician Scribonus Largus used the discharge of electric fish to treat headaches, arthritis and anal prolapse. In the eleventh century, Muslim doctor Ibn-Sidah treated epilepsy with a live electric catfish. These practices continued for centuries.
Unfortunately, in the early 1900s, charlatans sold a variety of electrotherapeutic devices, resulting in the discrediting of electrotherapy as a viable treatment. Due to this, only recently has electrotherapy once again gained credibility in American medicine.
Theories/Speculation
Australian neurophysiologist Sir John Carew Eccles first demonstrated that nerves transmit signals across synapses to stimulate biochemical processes. This led to the realization that without a certain amount of energy, cells fail to communicate properly and efficiently. Currently, by stimulating the nerves with an electrical current, medical practitioners can trigger various physical responses in the body.
Alternative medicine views the body not as a biochemical machine suggested by western medicine, but as a multidimensional energy system that requires the proper flow of life energy, known as ch'i in Oriental medicine, to maintain health. Electrotherapy can restore the proper flow of energy to an ailing individual. According to Dr. Richard Gerber, "Whereas the existing worldview of medicine sees the body as a great clockwork machine of biological gears and parts, the new worldview of healing sees the body as a complex energy system (p. 3)."
Benefits
Backed by hundreds of clinical trials, American medicine now turns to electrotherapy as a successful treatment option. For example, Dr. Andrew Bassett successfully healed fractured bones with the use of electrical fields. A study by researcher Sue E. Gardner, et al (1999), demonstrated the effects of electricity on wound healing.
The American Physical Therapy Association routinely achieves success by using electrotherapy for rehabilitation such as tissue repair and improve range of joint movement. Other possible medical approaches now being studied include treatment for cancer, coronary disease, obesity, neuropsychiatric disturbances, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, tinnitus, macular degeneration, migraine, depression, insomnia and anxiety.
Types
Electrotherapy presents a variety of treatment options. Ultrasound, one of the most popular, creates highly vibrating waves, beyond human hearing, to stimulate tissue healing. Interferential Therapy (IFT) is another method that administers a very low frequency to stimulate nerves while avoiding any side effects associated with higher frequencies.
The Association usually employs Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for pain relief by stimulating the body's pain-relief mechanism. In addition, Pulsed Shortwave Therapy (PSWT) provides short bursts of energy to stimulate healing of soft tissue.
Medical professionals and veterinarians also now employ Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) that either stimulates or inhibits cellular functioning, resulting in effective treatment for soft tissue damage and wound healing as well as pain management.
Warning
The American Medical Association approves various forms of electrotherapy due to the support of clinical findings. However, it warns that these clinic findings fail to cross over to the myriad of products sold to the individuals by alternative practitioners.
Tags: American medicine, American Physical, American Physical Therapy, associated with, energy system, medical practitioners, only recently